Having forged a reputation as a strong La Liga coach with the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Espanyol and Villarreal, Valverde was hired by the Catalans in the summer of 2017 to replace departing club legend Luis Enrique.

He steered the team to a domestic La Liga and Copa del Rey double in his debut season and is in a strong position to repeat the feat in his second, with Barça leading the Spanish title race and tied on aggregate halfway through their Copa del Rey semi final against Real Madrid.

Barça celebrate that in little more than a season-and-a-half, Valverde's team has scored 233 goals in 96 games. Barça have won 65 of those games and lost only nine.

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Valverde will next send his players onto the pitch on Saturday as Barça host Real Valladolid at Camp Nou in a league fixture. The Champions League will see them travel to Lyon next week, with a trip to Sevilla then coming a few days before the Copa del Rey return leg against Real.

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